Partners
not-of-this-Earth. Lovers with something extra. Why are heroines and heroes of
SFR/PNR, and for that matter, the reading public, so comfy snuggling up with
extraterrestrials, lizard warriors, zombies or not-quite-human-acting folk?
Around the world, readers swoon over a sentient, not-of-this-Earth
creature as a human’s love interest. Why?

If
you’ve read any SFR/PNR book with this premise, you’ll know that when the
parties meet it’s rarely love at first sight. Being curious about E. T. is
entirely different from committing to E. T. From my reading of SFR/PNR, I
discovered some common drawbacks and perks that can stop and start that love
train.

Let’s
start with some reasons for the initial reticence. These creatures are tempting
but most of them can barely be dressed up and taken anywhere. I present for
your approval, exhibit A, a space vampire. I know. Trust me. Go with it. But
wait a sec. If you read SFR/PNR, I had you at extraterrestrial. As an example,
let’s place our very mixed couple on a date. Picture them at a restaurant. Why
would that be difficult? Because they don’t share a common eating method!

Anyway,
once this “special” being is at a table with you, you’re going to wind up
munching your mushroom ravioli while your date gazes on. Yeah, your date might
have a dreamy look in those hooded eyes except it won't be for you. Your dinner
companion is all worked up thinking about its meal – the scrumptious human at
the next table. Even if you could share your beloved's chow time, would you
really want to? Rethinking that attraction. It might give you food for thought.

So,
bummer number one is that your public outings are awkward bordering on
dangerous. Number two, other-worlders might be entertaining, mysterious and
sexy like that foreign exchange student your older sister dated. But also, this
other-worlder vying for your affections can be a tad unnerving, challenging and
difficult to understand just like that foreign exchange student your older
sister dated.

Once you find common ground, and after they have revealed their
true self to you, could you trust them not to resort to that which makes them
unique in order to tolerate mankind? Could you trust them to not zap, gut or
bite some random human for some imagined slight or for a snack? Let’s face it.
They are not house-trained. They have no filter and knowing how to mingle
amongst the locals is not their forte.

Get
the picture? It could get messy. On to the few perks.

Firstly,
if you hook up with the preternaturally-abled, the space undead or a
scaly-skinned paramour, these partners can jump the line at an event.
Literally. Or at the very least clear the room. No pesky waiting. No crowds
anywhere. Ever. Red-carpet treatment all the way. They can act so fearsome and
can move so swiftly that no one would challenge them. Besides, who is going to
challenge them? Wolverine?

Second,
these folks are loyal. They are ride-or-die. Forgive the following creepy
observation but they are killers with hearts of gold. What an oxymoron! I
could be wrong but in real life I believe that combo is called psychopathic.
These devoted beings can destroy, drain or eviscerate one minute, then come
quietly into your room and cuddle with you while you sleep the next. That's…admirable?

Third,
depending upon which branch of the peculiar they hail from, they legitimately
have been there, done that, and possibly possess lifetimes of wisdom and
practice. They have the whole vulnerable, loner thing down pat. If one is into
“bad beings”, the experienced, eternal rebel has merit.

The
final perk on my list is if they’ve mastered the ability to heal themselves
after an injury, or can bestow ever-lasting life. You’d share in that windfall.
Perpetual good health and/or eternal life. No need for doctors of any kind. Not
even a plastic surgeon. You could party hearty with your beloved and never
wrinkle.

Those
are a few of the pros and cons I’ve seen played out in a number of SFR/PNR book
plots. Readers love a story involving a fish-out-of-water finding acceptance.
Readers can’t get enough of a pair who’ve joined together in love despite their
differences. It’s no easy walk when a couple chooses to go against the status
quo. Can you imagine when risking estrangement goes beyond family and friends
and extends into a galaxy? It’s reader catnip.

About the author

P. J. Dean has
always loved making up stories for as long as she can recall. Fiction book
writing was a no-brainer. Scribbling stories since childhood, she put away the
thought of becoming a published writer as she got older and as life’s
responsibilities beckoned. Work, ill family members and other distractions of
lesser urgency stayed her dream. But through it all she never stopped writing.
Writing was her escape. It kept her dream alive. After a job loss and after the
family illnesses ended, she concentrated on writing with an aim to be
published. She finally did, at first on her own, then through an early e-pub
and now with Extasy Books. She thanks Extasy for picking her up. The publisher
has given her the freedom to create what she wants without pigeon-holing her
into writing in a certain way, as many traditional Big Five publishers expected
her to do.

She writes
historical and paranormal romances with diverse characters. Her interest in
history coupled with a B.A in French Civilization helped her write her first
book, a historical romance set in late 16th century France with the court of
Charles IX as the backdrop. The need to see people of color in more romance
books led her to create her own paranormal romance series with an interracial
duo and lots of different people. In addition to the aliens.

She hails from
the mid-Atlantic USA and enjoys the change of seasons there. Sometimes. When
heavy thunderstorms or 45-inch snowstorms or 100-degree summers with matching
humidity hit, she dreams of Bermuda. Otherwise, the rest works for her.

When last we left that unlikely pair of alien slayers, part-Felig Nate Lowe and
fully human Tina Cain in The Felig Chronicles, they’d finally declared their
mutual love and lust in spite of the extraterrestrial Felig’s efforts to kill
them and enslave Earth. In The Felig Chronicles 2: Something Else Wicked, in
addition to the Felig, why does a human element want them dead, too?

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About Me: Heather travels the sea of stars for news about science fiction romance. She's also an author in the genre. To get in touch, you can email her, or follow her on Twitter or Facebook.

About Me

Heather’s debut sci-fi romance novel, Once Upon a Time in Space, features the last living descendant of Christopher Columbus on a desperate quest to find a new world. Standing in his way is Raquel, the deadliest space pirate in the galaxy.